Architecture and technology tradeoffs in the design of next-generation multiprocessor servers

The design of high performance computing systems requires many design decisions based on performance, cost, power consumption, and possibly other criteria. Decisions made in the early, high-level specification phase are critical to developing a successful product. We describe a methodology which allows the architect to explore alternatives at all design levels for different technology options. We use our approach to explore tradeoffs in the design of high performance multiprocessor servers using next-generation VLSI technology. The performance of a wide range of machine configurations varying in architectural options and technology parameters is explored for several SPEC benchmarks